Road to Eternity
by TimelessXxX
Summary: AU Squall’s sick with a fatal disease that has no found cure. His family sends him to a boarding school in America, where he meets a certain blonde and learns that there’s no disease that can stand in the way love. sxs SLASH yaoi
1. Welcome to My Life

**Road to Eternity **

**Chapter 1: Welcome to My Life**

**Summary: **AUSquall's sick with a fatal disease that has no found cure. Desperate to let him experience life before he dies, his family sends him to a boarding school in America, where he meets a certain blonde and learns that there's no disease that can stand in the way love. SxS SLASH yaoi

**Warnings: **This story has slash, bad language, Squall angst, and some OCC of some characters

**Disclaimer: **I don't own. That's life. But… I did buy Squall off on eBay. ;)

**Key: **  
_Italics: Thoughts, Dreams, Flashback, Song Lyrics, Break between Sections… uhm, what'd I miss? _  
**Bold:** **Someone saying something or a title **(ex.** Squall: **What the hell?)

_Do you wanna be somebody else?  
Are you sick of feeling so left out?  
Are you desperate to find something more?  
Before your life is over  
Are you stuck inside a world you hate?  
Are you sick of everyone around?  
With their big fake smiles and stupid lies  
While deep inside you're bleeding_

Welcome to My Life, Simple Plan

_: Do you ever feel like breaking down? Do you ever feel out of place? Like somehow you just don't belong, and no one understands you :_

Squall scanned the airport terminal with narrowed grey eyes. The bright, flashy Christmas lights did not hide the obvious weariness on the faces of the evening travelers, nor did they illustrate a sense of holiday cheer.

He shifted restlessly from one foot to another, adjusting the weight of the duffel bag that was slung over his back. The line was moving, almost imperceptibly, but still moving.

Squall sighed. Since he didn't make a habit of wearing a watch, he tapped the person in front of him, who just happened to be a teenage Asian girl. She jumped about a foot in the air, before turning and blushing.

"Uhm, yes?"

"Do you know what time it is?" He asked. She glanced down quickly at her wrist.

" Quarter to 7," she answered with a small giggle and a flirty smile.

Squall ignored it, opting to glance at the front of the line, where a heavy-set middle aged woman was gesturing wildly with her hands at a bored looking security guard. She didn't seem to be making any progress in proving the point she was vividly trying to make with all the hand gestures and frantic words.

Fortunately, the green OPEN light blinked on in a new security aisle, and Squall weaved his way towards it. He placed his duffel bag on the belt and took off his boots and placed them in the plastic bin. Reluctantly, he unclasped his Griever necklace and placed it next to his shoes.

The machine did not beep, and soon, Squall was on his way again. He felt for the comforting weight of the necklace against his skin as arcane, stormy eyes searched the corridors for gate 9B. The necklace had been with him, ever since… well, ever since Ellone had given it to him right before she died, which was about seven years ago.

He felt himself wishing to be back there in his cozy home in London, instead of here at the airport with its cold and strange and foreign lights, heading off to America and a posh boarding school full of aristocratic snobs.

He passed a bookstore, where an illuminated display of the 6th Harry Potter book stood next to a life-size cardboard cutout of the said boy and an old man, who he guessed was Dumbledore. He didn't care much for those books, anyway.

Still, his gaze was drawn to several other important things, which were happening simultaneously at that very moment.

First of all, there was the fact that a short, spiky-haired blonde teen was walking towards him, eyes vacant and unfocused on where he was going.

The second crucial detail was that he was apparently walking straight towards Squall, and if he didn't turn either right or left at that very moment, they were going to crash.

The third was that he had just spotted his gate, 9B, but that didn't matter much, since he felt the sharp collision of another person against his chest, and they were both thrown backwards.

Squall was luckier than the other, he stumbled backwards, but fast reflexes and natural dexterity, he managed to catch himself before falling. Only his duffel bag suffered the hard impact with the floor. The other man, however, had landed straight on his ass, and was blushing slightly at his own clumsiness.

"Oh, uhm, I'm so sorry," the blonde uttered, immediately standing up and brushing himself off. Squall shrugged, and bent down to pick up his bag, and the backpack the other had been carrying before it fell and spilt all its contents on the floor.

The blonde was down again to help him gather his things.

A brochure and ticket caught Squall's eye, and he stopped to study it closely. "You're headed to Galabadian Prep, too?" He asked incredulously.

The other nodded. "Yeah, but I got lost, and can't find my gate…" He blushed and grinned sheepishly.

Squall glanced at the boy's ticket. "9B," he read. "You're on the same flight as me."

"Seriously?" The teen's face broke out in a wide grin. "Hey man, that's just so cool! What's your name? I'm Zell."

Taken aback by the zealous introduction, Squall shifted uncomfortably. "Squall. And gate 9B is that way," he gestured with his head.

Zell nodded. "Okay, thanks. I'm not good with finding things and all, you know," he said conversationally as they both stood and started walking towards their gate, more or less next to each other due to Zell's efforts in trying to keeping up with Squall's long stride.

Squall rolled his eyes subconsciously.

"So you're going to that school, too? This is just so awesome," Zell continued, unaware that Squall had stopped listening a few sentences ago. "My parents decided it would help me and all to see America and meet new people… You know, just to cool my head a little." He winced. "I don't know what they're thinking, exactly. Somehow everyone just tells me to shut up when I'm talking to them and then ignores me, but I get the feeling you're not like that, Squall. Hey, wanna sit together on the plane? We should get to know each other if we're gonna be seeing each other for the next 4 years."

Squall felt something crumble inside of him, and he felt a pang in his chest. _4 years_.

'…_There's no cure for it. I'm sorry. Ellone died in a month.' _

Squall felt bitterness well up inside of him whenever the thoughts about his sister and the disease that killed her, and threatened to kill him as well, came up.

"Hey man, are you feeling OK? You're looking a bit pale." Squall turned his head a little to look at Zell.

"Never been better," He muttered under his breath, but still loud enough for the hyperactive blonde to hear. Zell grinned a little, before continuing to talk.

"I wasn't from around here, you know," he said, waving his arm around theatrically, causing several people to stare at them. Squall sighed quietly. He hated attention, since it made him feel like everyone _knew_…

"…but we moved here when I was only 8. Oh, hey, look, there's our gate!" Zell bounced on the balls of his feet, trying to stretch his short frame to see above the tall warning signs against taking unknown baggage from someone.

_They should include how to shake off annoying hyperactive blondes that could be potential terrorists,_ Squall thought wryly, heading towards an empty seat. To his dismay, Zell followed.

"So, how old are you?" Zell asked. Squall glanced over at him.

"Seventeen. You?"

"Sixteen. Aw man, does that mean you're gonna be a second level student? I'm still a first level."

Squall shrugged. He never really bothered to read over the welcome information packet to Galabadian Prep School, despite how many times his mother had warned him to.

The usual monotone announcements about security and baggage was interrupted as a male voice suddenly crackled to life over the speakers.

"Okay, folks! For all of you headed for America, the plane has just arrived and we'll be boarding shortly. We've just missed a big snowstorm, so we're very lucky not to have been delayed. Now if all the people in rows 14-23 would line up…"

Squall tuned him out, just as he normally did to anything that wasn't exactly piquing his interest. He felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Come on, let's go."

Squall looked at the blonde, who was already shouldering his backpack. Squall did the same and led the way towards the winding line. The man checking the tickets winked at a gaggle of girls in front of them, who giggled and blushed behind their hands.

_Women,_ Squall thought with a sigh. He handed the man his ticket with a bored, aloof glance.

"You guys have a nice flight," he told them with a wink, to which Squall responded with a harsh glare. Zell just grinned.

"I want a window seat!" He chirped, plopping down in the first seat he saw and looking at Squall expectantly, waiting for him to sit down next to him.

"Uhm, don't we have to sit in our assigned-"

Just then, a flight attendant reached for a speakerphone and said, "Good evening, folks! Happy early holidays! Go ahead and grad any seat, this plane is surprisingly empty." She let out a sharp, feminine laugh. "Enjoy it while it lasts."

Squall looked despairingly at Zell, who missed the look and just smiled. "Com'on, Squall!"

The brunette sighed wearily at sat down slowly. "This is great," Zell crooned, stretching and yawning at the same time. "Ah, think I'm gonna take a nap. Night."

Squall stared in disbelief as the hyper blonde closed his eyes and immediately fell asleep. Most people hadn't even boarded yet!

Grunting, he leaned down and unzipped his bag, reaching for his novel that he kept close at hand in case he was ever stuck some place without a source of entertainment. It was a habit he'd picked up from Ellone.

Squall sighed. Somehow, his thoughts kept drifting back to his late older sister. It had been seven years, he reprimanded himself, and… well, he still hadn't gotten over it. And now, it looked like he didn't have a lot of time left to sit there and brood.

He glanced desolately out the darkened window, where people in bright orange reflective vests were waving flags out in the chilly weather. In the plane, the heat was kicked way up, and the warm honey glow of the lights shone down through the reading bulbs. Above his head, a woman was snapping shut overhead compartments, working her way towards the back of the plane.

Squall opened his book, eyes scanning over the dog-earred page for his previous page. Catcher in the Rye. So far, he didn't think much of it, and the Holden Caulfield who was so cocky and arrogant. He **hated** people like that, point blank. Still, he was only on page 20. He had learned to give books at least 40 pages or so before giving up on them entirely.

The blonde next to him groaned and shifted. Briefly glancing at him, he started to read, just as the flight attendants voice filled the air, and the plane began to move.

_: To be on the edge of breaking down, and no one's there to save you. No you don't know what it's like : _

It was around early morning when the plane finally landed in the Baltimore Washington International Airport, or BWI. Winter in Maryland was chilly, he'd been told, so he'd packed extra thick sweatshirts and jackets. The blonde hadn't stirred the entire trip, but Squall was a bit paranoid about falling asleep on a plane that he was riding on alone, so he had slept only in fits.

By the time they had got off the plane, Squall had dark shadows under his eyes. Still, he'd stayed up far longer than a night. Shuddering slightly from a combination of the reminder of his sickness and the sudden chilliness in the air, Squall, followed closely by a lethargic Zell, made their way out of the airport.

"Let's hail a taxi and get to the school," Squall told Zell, for he had gotten used to the blonde being next to him, and, truth be told, he felt safer traveling around in America with someone that he was at least vaguely comfortable with. Zell nodded sleepily, blinking and rubbing his eyes.

The trouble with that plan, however, was that everyone else was apparently thinking the same thing, so after about 45 minutes of standing there waving at taxis that just passed by them and freezing their asses halfway to Maine, they settled for a bus, and gratefully hopped on one.

Besides a haggard old man sitting in a corner, the bus was deserted at around 4 AM in the morning. The driver was a droopy woman with deep set black eyes and a large scar running across her face, and Squall tried not to stare. She stunk of strong, black coffee, and was dressed in tattered wool sweaters and worn jeans.

Grunting briefly at them, they paid a few dollars, and then sat down. The bus was old and creaky, and Squall and Zell lapsed in and out of sleep, too tired and exhausted to try and stay awake.

The bus finally stopped at the closest bus stop there was to the school without actually going into the high-class neighborhood of cobblestone streets and colonial buildings. The duo made their way onto the sidewalk, collapsing on the bench to rest for a while.

"So…" Squall ventured at last, not feeling like keeping up an icy façade this late at night. "Do we walk to the school?"

Zell blinked awake, before processing his statement and nodding slowly. "Yeah, I guess," he said, flashing a small grin. "They must but open 24/7 now that students are arriving all the time and stuff."

Squall didn't reply, focusing instead of adjusting his duffel bag and standing up casually.

"Well, lets go," he said, and they started off. It was about a mile walk, and at around 5 in the morning and temperatures of about 20 degrees Fahrenheit, they weren't exactly happy campers. Even Zell, who Squall had learned was the type of bear-it-and-grin, glass-half-full type of guy was feeling a little droopy, yawning every 5 minutes.

Finally they saw a sign with fancy gold script reading Galabadian Prep School, although it was hard to see in the inky blackness.

Squall felt a twinge of pain, and frowned. "Great," he muttered, so quietly that Zell couldn't hear. He knew he kept pills in his bag, but he didn't feel like digging them out to show Zell and the rest of the world his condition. Best to keep him in the dark.

_For as long as possible, _Squall thought gloomily. A sharp, biting cold wind picked up through the night air, making him shiver and contract. Rubbing his gloved leather hands over his arms, he felt his teeth chatter.

_We should get in soon, before we catch a cold,_ Squall found himself thinking. They walked up through the tall, imposing wrought-iron gate, which swung open with an ominous creak. If Squall were superstitious, he would have definitely taken that as an omen.

The courtyard was green and lush, littered with benches and trees and the occasional flower garden or memorial. A lamppost cast the building in sharp relief, light and shadows contrasting sharply across the entranceway, which was a double door, and painted a deep wooden mahogany.

The light inside the lobby was bright, and both boys blinked at the sudden change as their irises changed and contracted. Zell's bright blue eyes squinted as he looked towards the desk. A dozing brunette girl sat at the desk, and had jumped up, alerted to the intrusion. Bright green eyes surveyed them curiously, before they closed shut in a yawn.

"Mmm… Hello!" She chirped, a chipper note in her voice that was not entirely normal for the ungodly hour in the morning. "I'm Selphie! Are you guys some of the students?"

They nodded mutely, fascinated by the strange décor the room sported. Everything was done in red velvet; from the curtains to the couches. A huge, towering ceiling and a grand chandelier made the place look more like a fancy ballroom than a welcoming lobby for tired, boarding school teens.

"Yeah, pretty, huh?" The girl, Selphie, noted, following their gaze around the room. "Ya get used to it after a while… well, so what are your names?"

Squall blinked and focused grey eyes back on the girl. "Squall Leonhart, and Zell…"

He paused, looking over at the crested blonde. "…Zell Dincht." He finished with a slight grin. "Leonhart, huh? Like a lion?" He mimicked a roaring sound which made Selphie grin.

"Oh… here! Found ya! Both first level…" She laughed, nose scrunching up. "Now I think… huh, what's next/ Ah, right. Room keys. Right. Room key, room key…"

She muttered to herself as she got up and opened several drawers, before reemerging with two shiny, golden keys. "Don't lose those," she warned, "They're 50 dollars each."

Then she handed them both packets with their room information and numbers. Since they were first level students, both their rooms were on the first floor, but Squall was room 129 and Zell was room 145.

"Irvine Kinneas," Zell read from his packet. "Huh. Who's your roommate, Squall?"

The brunette bit his lip. "Seifer. Seifer Almasy." He frowned. "I thought that we got our own rooms."

"First levels?" Selphie laughed. "Nah, only fourth level kids get their own rooms, if they want them," she said with a lazy grin. "Most of the time they still prefer sharing with their friends. Although, first levels have to share a community bathroom/shower." Her face curled a little. "Sometimes the guys try to sneak into the girls showers with video cameras."

Zell and Squall looked at each other. Community showers?" They both echoed, faces incredulous.

"How do you know so much about these things?" Squall asked, frowning. Zell noted that the frown seemed to be a permanent addition to the stormy eyed boy, and to see him smile would seem completely strange and abnormal.

"I'm a student here," she said, shrugging. "But I was caught sticking gum under the desk in class… so this is my punishment. Night Lobby Duty. Blegh," she made a face.

Zell chose that moment to yawn. "Man, I'm beat," he said, rubbing his eyes. Squall snorted, and decided not to mention the long nap the blonde took on the plane. Figures, he reasoned, I just want to get my pills down and catch a few hours of shuteye.

They walked through another set of double doors, into where the first level students' dorms were located. Set off in four pods of 25 rooms, Squall and Zell both set off for pod 2 in the boys' dormitories, saying goodbyes and setting off.

Squall tried to drink in as much as he could of the building in the dimmed lights, but all he managed to see were several bathrooms and the community showers that Selphie had mentioned. Finally, he found his room and slid the key in with a soft _click_.

It was dark, except for a small fluorescent bubble light that glowed a flickering glow-in-the-dark blue. It was the kind you saw in the back of Spencer's, which made white shirts seem to turn to a light cerulean.

Squall set down his bag as quietly as possible, hearing the soft breathing of his roommate. Their welcome wagon is kinda loopy, he thought, quickly fumbling for his bottle of pills. Grabbing two and gulping them down with a swig from his water bottle, he replaced the cap just as the other teen in the room shifted and groaned.

Squall froze, debating whether to call out or not. However, the boy beat him to it.

"Hello? Who's there?" His voice was groggy and sleepy. Squall coughed lightly. "Uhm, me." He said lamely, before realizing the guy wouldn't be able to tell the difference between his voice and a serial killer come to rape him blind.

"I'm your roommate. Squall."

"…huh? Squall? As in, storm?" The voice was fully alert now.

Squall sighed, annoyed. "Yes, and no," he said, "It's my name. _Squall_."

"…Oh." The was the sound of rustling sheets, and the light flickered on, revealing a tall, muscular blonde dressed only in boxer shorts.

"The name's Seifer." Squall nodded mutely, eyes wide and staring before he blinked and turned away, mumbling.

"What was that?" Seifer asked curiously, a hint of a smirk on his face. Squall shook his head.

"Nothing," he muttered.

"Didn't hear you," Seifer said again, this time really smirking and crossing his arms over his chest, knowing he was irking the brunette. "Were you checking me out?"

Squall blushed and shot the blonde a heated glare. "No, dumbass, I wasn't," he shot, taking his bag and slamming it on his bed with more force than was necessary.

"Okay, okay, no need to get so defensive," Seifer said with a lazy grin, enjoyment shining through sharp green eyes. Squall snorted but didn't reply.

The truth was, Squall **had** been staring at Seifer's chest. Sharp and smooth, he felt like he was looking at a model, straight from the pages of a Photoshop edited magazine. The other exception was that this guy was real, his _roommate_, and as **cocky as hell**. Apparently, the blonde and Holden Caulfield had many similarities.

Seifer grinned a little, before sighing. "Hey, Squall, you gonna stand there all night talking to yourself, or are ya gonna go to sleep? Cuz I know that I'm not gonna get up until noon tomorrow."

With that, the blonde flopped back down on his bed, immediately burrowing into the covers and going back to sleep. It took Squall a while to realize that tomorrow was Saturday, and that classes wouldn't begin officially until Monday, due to the incoming rush of new students.

Wincing a little as the pills started to take effect in his stomach, he set his bag on the floor beside him and followed the eccentric blonde's lead, lying down on the soft, comfy down mattress and closing his eyes.

However, the images of Seifer and the bus driver and the haggard old man keep popping up in his mind's eye, and he kept hearing the Asian girl's flirty smile and high giggle at the airport, playing over and over again like a broken record, until it reached epic proportions in his ears, like a symphony of ringing screeches and flutes.

Soon, he drifted off into a fitful sleep, plagued by incandescent golden hair and lucid green eyes.

**TBC… **

**AN:** Hmmm… I wonder… should I continue? This is, like, my first try with FF8 slash, not to mention a looong (intended to be, anyway) story… So… **This is new for me!** Review! Please. ) Anyone read Catcher in the Rye?

SHOULD I CONTINUE?


	2. These Blues

**Road to Eternity**

**Chapter 2: These Blues**

_Is this the New Year or just another night?  
Is this the new fear or just another fright?  
Is this the new tear or just another desperation?_

_Is this the finger or just another fist?  
Is this the kingdom or just a hit n' miss?  
I miss direction, most in all this desperation_

_Is this what they call freedom?  
Is this what you call pain?  
Is this what they call discontented fame?_

These Blues, Switchfoot

: _I'm singing this one like a broken piece of glass. From broken hearts and broken noses in the back. Is this the New Year or just another desperation:_

"Oh my god…"

There were whispers that followed him as he walked through the door to the cafeteria. Heads turned and eyes widened, and Squall felt a burning feeling that only occurred when people looked at him.

He immediately searched for a friendly face, and spotted Zell, who was waving him over to his table where he sat with Selphie and a tall, handsome man in a black cowboy hat.

"Hey, Squall!" The blonde chirped, grinning happily. The girl grinned at him, reaching for the syrup bottle and slathering her waffles in sugary sweetness.

"Hey," he answered after a slight pause. "Who are you?" He turned to the stranger with sparkling purple eyes.

"Oh, he's Irvine, my roommate. And I just found out that Selph and Irvine here were **really** good friends," here Zell winked suggestively, "so I just decided to sit with them. Cool, huh?" Zell rambled, and Squall raised an eyebrow at the cowboy, who just gave him a lazy smile. When had Zell gotten on such friendly terms with the brunette girl, anyway, to call her 'Selph?'

"…Peachy," he said finally, sitting down and casting one last sharp look around the cafeteria. A lot of the girls immediately blushed and looked away from where they'd been staring at either him or Irvine.

It was sort of ironic, how so many people were just so… attracted to him. They wouldn't be if they knew what he had… And besides, he didn't think he looked like anything special; in fact, he thought he looked rather feminine. Still, he couldn't help that all people did was either admire him or give him fake apathetic looks whenever he passed them. It didn't help his introversion much, that was sure.

"Hello? Hey, Squall? Space out much?" Squall looked up with a small glare, frowning a little at his plate.

"I'm fine," he sighed, reaching for an apple and nibbling it slightly. He noticed it didn't appease the worried and confused looks on their faces, so he took a large bite and chewed slightly, the frown lines in his forehead getting steadily more pronounced as the meal wore on.

Since when did he receive worried looks? Well, besides from his parents. He got those from them almost daily, while others merely glanced at him and wondered what the _fuck_ had been put in **his** coffee this morning, cuz _man_, he was downright **nasty**! Still, Squall's reasoning had been logical, or, at least, logical to him.

It was best not to let people know… about **it**. If they did, they'd think that it was contagious, and wouldn't step within 5 feet of him. Although now he liked his own private space, it hadn't always been that way. Back when she was alive…

But that was then. He knew his doctor had told him not to dwell in the past and think of what ifs and maybes, 'cause those things couldn't be changed, and he didn't have the hours in his life to waste on those trivial thoughts like most others did.

"Squall, are you feeling alright, man? You're looking a little flushed, and your apple's not looking too good, either." The grey eyed teen looked down at his apple, which was indeed oozing juice from where his fingernails had punctured the skin from gripping it so tight.

"I'm fine," Squall snapped again, letting his apple drop onto the table with a small _thud_. "I'm just… still kinda tired. I'm just gonna go back to my room for a shower or something, okay?"

The others nodded mutely, still staring at him with apprehensive looks. Squall tried to smile, so that they wouldn't kill too many brain cells trying to figure out the enigma that was Squall Leonhart.

"Seriously, I'm fine. I'll see you guys later, okay?" With that, he turned and trudged out, trying to block out the whispers that seemed to be haunting him as he passed.

_: You push until you're shoving, you bend until you break. Do you stand on the broken fields where our fathers lay:_

Squall walked into his room, irritated and slightly put off. Since when did they think they knew him well enough to look so _worried_? It made him slightly uneasy, and he felt a sharp tugging in his stomach again.

Groaning inwardly, he reached for his duffel bag and unzipped it quietly. The blonde was still sleeping, chest rising and falling slightly as the sun shone brightly over his form.

Squall flashed back to the night before, well, technically it was only a few hours ago, but he remembered the blonde's toned, muscular body and immediately felt the sensation in his stomach grow worse.

He knew, from what the doctors had told them when Ellone was sick, was that the pains in his stomach would steadily grow worse, until the medication didn't work anymore to relieve it. Then, after a few weeks after the disease started to grow, it would shut down your brain. Usually the people remained comatose, without any chance of waking up.

Squall's parents had decided to end Ellone's life, which was sustained only by an IV dripping fluids into her arm and a life monitor, forcing a heart beat in her still form. Squall recalled looking at his sister with wide, frightened eyes, and feeling a sharp clenching in his heart.

So when they had left the hospital after watching them carry her body away in a white plastic bag, his mother reduced to a sobbing wreck and his dad stiff and tense, he had locked himself away, promising that if he ever became sick like sis was, he wouldn't ever make his mom and dad hurt like she had.

He was brought back from the memories by Seifer shifting in bed, obviously awakened by his entrance.

"Wha' time is it?" The blonde groaned, blearily opening one eye to peer out at Squall. The brunette hastily shoved the unopened bottle of pills back into his bag under the pretense of searching for something.

"Uhm, like 8:30," he replied, dropping his bag onto the floor. Seifer grumbled, turning away. "Why you up so early?" He mumbled, blonde, sun-kissed hair ruffled as he sat up, staring at Squall.

"Dunno, why are you still asleep?" Squall shot back, although his mind kept drifting back to the pills that were lying innocently in the bottom of his bag.

They stood there for a few seconds, before Seifer looked away. "Do you always wake up early?" He asked, standing and stretching before attempting to find some clothes. Squall shrugged.

"Come on, Squall, does it hurt that much to try and talk to me?" The green-eyed teen teased, sticking out his tongue a little.

Squall didn't honor that with a reply; instead, he gathered a spare change of clothes and headed towards the bathroom.

"I'm taking a shower." He told the blonde. Seifer merely nodded, eyes focused on trying to find some clothes. Squall heard a brief muttering that sounded like 'the hell did I put my shirt?' before he shut the door and sighed.

He still hadn't taken the pills, and he stared down at his stomach, where he could feel the steadily growing pain that hadn't been subdued by medication. He had tried once to see how long he could last before he fainted. It had taken only about 30 minutes.

Turning on the water until it was scalding hot, he stripped and stepped in, closing his eyes in bliss. He felt a familiar lassitude wash over him with each droplet of water that ran down his skin. It soon numbed his nerves so that he couldn't even feel the pain in his stomach anymore. He felt his eyes drooping closed, and shook himself awake. Now was **not** the time to fall asleep in the shower.

Quickly shutting off the water and toweling himself dry, he stepped out and changed, before turning to look at himself in the mirror.

Wavy brown locks and sharp grey eyes stared back at him in the mirror, skin smooth and pale and immaculately clean. No moles or scars marred his features, and he scowled. He really _did_ look like a girl.

Sighing and opening the door, he found Seifer lounging on _his_ bed, reading a magazine.

"Oh, guess who just came back from an hour long shower. What'd you have to do, put on makeup?" The blonde teased, standing up and gathering his own clothes. Squall felt the pain in his stomach come back. He glared.

"Aww, did I hurt your feelings?" Seifer drawled, eyes dancing. "Here, let Mommy kiss it alright." He inched closer to Squall, who felt his skin heat up with a prickly sensation from more that the hot shower.

Seifer laughed. "Man, you blush way too easily," he grinned. "Modest men go down first." He chuckled at his own joke. "Imma go take a shower. Hope you didn't use all the hot water up." Squall felt a more urgent tug at his stomach.

With a glare, he watched him go, before reaching for his bag and popping two pills in his mouth.

Glancing at the bed, he saw the magazine that was carelessly thrown open. _Electronic Weapons Monthly. _Huh.

Picking it up, he gingerly flipped through the pages, feeling like it was an invasion of privacy, for some odd reason.

He stopped at a circled and battered page which featured the gunblades. In red pen, an XG4 model of Hyperion was circled at least 50 times, and there were intelligible chicken scratches, which Squall guessed was Seifer's handwriting, that marked down notes and prices. Then Squall noticed the numbers, and his jaw dropped.

No way. Was Seifer out of his mind? Sure, the gunblade was cute and pretty and powerful looking or whatever, but 100,000 dollars for it? The blonde was more loopy that he previously thought.

Looking over the magazine, he absentmindedly flipped the page and his eyes widened. A large close-up of an elegant gunblade was the feature of the next page, with the large scrawly script reading 'LionHeart.'

Squall paused, a little unsure and captivated by the name.

_He wanted that gunblade._

No matter that he didn't know how to use it and that he probably wouldn't get a chance to, seeing that he had a terminal illness and that his days were numbered, but still, he wanted, no, he _needed_ that gunblade.

For some inane reason… so, he reasoned, maybe Seifer wasn't that crazy to want one of these things. Then, his eyes wandered to the price, and he felt a crushing weight in his chest. Wow. If any person were to actually buy anything from this magazine, the company must have been rich by now. It just wasn't possible to charge 150,000 dollars for a gunblade.

Setting aside the magazine when he heard the water stop in the bathroom like a guilty child, he started to unpack his clothes, hanging them up carefully in his wardrobe.

"Do you wear anything besides leather?"

He knew that voice that was drawling right behind him, and extremely close to his ear. He hadn't even realized Seifer had come out.

"…"

He said, turning to glance out of the corner of his eye at the blonde. Green eyes looked over his choice of clothes, carefully hidden amusement behind his aristocratic features.

"…_You're so funny, Squall. Don't you wear anything besides black?"_

Squall felt the insides of his stomach chill. "No," he heard himself say, the frigidness in his voice even surprising him. He felt his heart clench when the blonde's face fell.

Why does he care? Squall felt himself wondering, before pushing the thought away. He's just trying to be friendly, Squall told himself. But… he'll just learn. And then, he'll try to stay as far away as possible.

And that…

"Why the hell are you such a bitch?" Seifer demanded.

And that… would just hurt.

Squall turned away, not answering as he hung his last sweater in the closet and grabbed his key.

"You should go to the cafeteria," he said quietly. "They're probably about to take the food away."

"I know that," Seifer said sullenly, "I've been here three more fucking days that you have."

Squall didn't reply, except by slamming the door.

_: There's nothing here worth saving? Is no one here at all? Is there any net left that could break our fall:_

"Fuck."

Squall cursed when he realized that he didn't have any place to go. He didn't know his way around the grounds of the place, and he had left his map back in the room, where Seiferwas, and Squall wasn't in the mood to go back in there.

Squall also had no intention of finding Zell of Selphie or anybody else, for that matter, because he knew from his 'friends' at home that any attempt at company made on his part let the other party feel like they were suddenly best friends, and stuck to him like glue.

He didn't feel like warding off people when he was supposed to be 'living life' here in America. At least no one had commented on his accent. That would just make his day.

"Squall!" Another thing that would make his day…

He turned to see Selphie bouncing towards him, dragging the auburn haired cowboy behind her.

Irvine winked and waved at a group of girls that passed, and they immediately giggled loudly and started whispering. Selphie pouted and hit him.

"Irrvy," she whined, "Stop it."

The cowboy laughed a little. "Hey man," he acknowledged, tipping his hat. Selphie blinked and looked back at Squall.

"Oh! Yeah, hey! Okay, so like I was saying… You wanna go outside with us? It's a great day outside for December." She giggled.

Squall debated the dilemma inside his head; stay inside and rot, or go outside and rot? Huh.

"…Okay." He said finally, nodding for them to lead the way.

Selphie grinned. "Hey! Cool! They have a really cool fountain outside, and this really pretty garden. We always plant stuff in it."

Squall nodded absentmindedly.

"Now all we need to do is find Quisty! Oh, Oh! And Zell, too."

"Quisty?" Squall repeated, a single dark eyebrow rising towards his hairline.

"Yeah! Her name's really Quitis, but I call her Quisty. She's one of my best friends!"

The eyebrow rose a little higher.

"We're roommates."

Ah.

…_Your point?_

"My point, is, that you should get to know her too, since we're friends."

_Oh shit,_ Squall thought. _I guess I said that out loud by acciden-_

Wait.

Friends! When did she decide that? And _why_ wasn't **he** informed?

"Uhm… right. Okay." Squall muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. Whatever. He didn't need to worry about this. He just… Argh. Maybe he should just cut this whole boarding school gig and go deal drugs or something out in the streets.

It would be a lot easier for him, anyway, without having to deal with people that would only get worried and upset over him if he ever told them the truth.

Besides, he… didn't need friends. He…

Couldn't.

"Squall? Hey, Squall? Are you OK? You're looking kinda sad."

"I'm fine," Squall said brusquely, enunciating the statement with a wave of his hand.

Selphie and Irvine shared a 'look.'

Squall sighed, rolling his eyes. "Can we just go now?" He asked, a hint of a whine in his voice.

Selphie hesitated before nodding. "Okay." Right after that, she cheered up. "I know where we can go after we get the others; to that ice cream stand!"

Irvine stared at the girl incredulously. "In the winter?" He asked. "I don't think it'll be open."

"But Stan said he'd be open year-round!" Selphie whined, glaring a little at Irvine.

The cowboy laughed. "No, he's not. Sorry Selph." Irvine countered.

Squall just listened to them bickering all the way down the hall with only a hint of a smile curved on his full lips.

_: It'll be a day like this one, when the sky falls down and the hungry and poor and deserted are found : _

His stomach growled. Irvine glanced down at the offending organ.

"Okay! That's it; Irvine agrees with me that it's lunchtime!" Zell shouted, shooting up from his perch on the fountain so fast that the perky, feminine brunette almost tipped over backwards and into the crisp, cold spray.

Squall shivered a little, but didn't say anything. Personally, he thought they were all idiots. Even though the day seemed to be turning out perpetually warm and sunny, the air still had that December coldness to it that just didn't go away in the wintertime.

"Sheesh, Zell," Selphie grumbled, breathing in and out really fast as if just surviving a life-threatening dilemma. "Don't do that!"

"Selph… I think we really should get going to lunch," Quitis voiced. Squall liked her; she was level-headed, and knew what she was doing, unlike everyone else Squall had met so far at this school.

The brunette pouted. "Aww! But I want to see this get developed." They all turned simultaneously to glance back down at the camera in Selphie's hand and sigh. The device was newly (and illegally) imported from Korea, where her parents had just returned from a month-long vacation, and bought the little camera as a source of amusement for their daughter and also as a birthday present.

It would take a picture and develop it on the spot, although you had to wait for 3 minutes. They'd been sitting on the fountain for the better part of half an hour, twiddling their thumbs while Selphie made small claims of seeing the ink slowly drying.

She had glomped onto a wide-eyed black haired girl with several blonde-brown highlights and asked her to take a picture of all of them posing by the fountain.

It had been just that moment that a wind had mysteriously picked up and whisked Irvine's hat away. Several well-voiced curses and mad chases later, they were back at the fountain, Irvine minus one black cowboy hat and looking on the verge of tears.

Still, the picture had been taken, the first in that camera, Selphie had told them proudly, and now, they were still waiting for the picture to come out.

"Just pull it out!" Zell urged. He looked on the verge of fainting from hunger. Squall guessed that growing teenage boys had to be fed once an hour or else they'd pass out from starvation.

"No!" Selphie griped, "It says that it would come out on its own!" Squall didn't talk, feeling a bit out of place in their little self-appointed group. He just wanted to lie down and read some more of his book with its cocky, arrogant, self-assured main character that Squall had always imagined to be tall, blonde, and with bright viridian-colored eyes…

No. No. That was all wrong.

Squall glared.

Stupid book.

Stupid school.

Stupid camera, stupid fountain, stupid…

Stupid Seifer.

Sighing, Squall glanced back down at the camera, which looked back innocently, a little red light blinking over a sticker that read; 'If blinking, photo is processing.'

Right.

"Selphie… Can you just pull it out so that we can go eat? Please?" Squall asked, a hint of exasperation coloring his voice.

Selphie pouted.

"But Squall… It was a special picture! I heard that Rinoa is planning of majoring in photography! I bet it looks really good, but we just need to give the camera time…"

Squall felt like finding the nearest tree and smashing his head against the trunk. Hard.

"…Bet it looks really good, we just need to give the camera time…" Zell mimicked lowly. Irvine looked over at the crested blonde.

"Look, man, I know you're all crabby cuz of the lack of substantial material in your stomach, but I think this means a lot to Selphie." As if the betray the cowboy, his own stomach let out a particularly loud growl.

"Aww, Irrvy," Selphie cooed. "That was so sweet. Did you really mean it?"

"Yes," Irvine replied, an equally love-struck look in his eyes.

Squall tried hard not to gag. "Well, can't one of us just go into the cafeteria and bring out several sandwiches or something?" He ventured. "Then we can eat outside. A lot of people are doing that."

Indeed, most of the students that had already arrived at Galabadian Prep were eating outside.

Quitis nodded. "Yeah. That's a good idea, Squall," she smiled warmly at the grey-blue eyed teen, who just looked at her before looking away uncomfortably.

"Oh, I'll go!" Zell volunteered. Nobody protested, since Irvine and Selphie were still making eyes at each other.

"Ugh." The bespectacled girl looked over at the couple. "I never knew they liked each other like that."

Squall shrugged. "Me either." He said absentmindedly, leaning against the fountain and feeling the gentle spray of water against his face. It was in the center of the courtyard, with and towering centerpiece of a cherub holding up a lion's head from whose open mouth spewed a jet of crystal clear water. It pooled in a round, deep basin that sported many pennies and dimes.

"What are all those coins doing in there?" Squall inquired. Quitis blinked, confused, before his face turned to a small smile.

"Oh, I almost forgot. You're from Europe, aren't you? Well, people here, sometimes they throw coins into fountains and make a wish." Seeing the confused look Squall was giving her. "Its supposedly good luck," she elucidated. "You just stand, here, I'll show you." She fumbled around in her jeans pocket, and produced two pennies.

Squall followed her lead, and held the proffered penny tightly in his hand. "Turn your back to the fountain," she said, and he did so, copying her. "Then, you close your eyes and make a wish."

Squall squeezed his eyes shut, trying to think of a good wish.

What could he possibly want?

Hmm, well, let's see. He had a fatal disease that no one had a cure to, and was destined to die probably within this month.

He was sent to a boarding school halfway across the globe in America, and was doomed to room with the cockiest, most egotistical bastard in the school, and now he had supposed 'friends,' although how that came to be, he didn't know.

Just by sitting with them at breakfast, he supposed. And now, he didn't know what to do; be nice to them and then watch them throw him dirty looks and try to avoid him like he was a rabid animal after they learned about his potentially contagious and fatal disease? Or, just drive them away now and save himself and them all the unnecessary pain?

He knew what he wished for now.

"…And now… throw your penny as hard as you can over your shoulder." Clenching his eyes shut as tightly as he could, he tried not to think about how ridiculous he must have looked, and threw his penny over his shoulder with all his strength.

He heard the clinking of two pennies on the water, and then he released a breath he had been unconsciously holding.

He opened his eyes, and found that now one had even been looking at them, and that Selphie and Irvine were sitting very very close to each other and talking quietly.

"Squall? Squall?" He turned to Quitis, who was looking at him.

"…Yeah?" He finally answered. She smiled, and shook her head. "You can't tell people what you wished for," she said, "Or it won't come true."

Squall swallowed, imagining what Ellone would tell him for believing in such a silly, _western_ superstition. She'd laugh and give him a thumbs up, Squall mused with a small nostalgic smile.

Luckily, before Quitis could comment on the brief lapse of Squall's facial and mental barrier, Zell interrupted with a zealous call. "Hey! I got the food! Now could someone help me!"

Quitis turned to help, chuckling.

Zell stumbled over to the fountain, dumping a pile of saran-wrapped sandwiches and several bottles of Dr. Pepper on the grass.

"Mmm," Zell said, grinning. "I'm starved! I only wish they had hot dogs," he said wistfully. "Man, I love those things."

Even Squall had to crack a smile at the blonde's expression. It rivaled even the amorous expressions that the two on the fountain sported.

"Hey! Lovebirds, come over here and eat!" Zell called to them. They both blinked, male and female, concurrently.

"When did you two start getting all lovey-dovey with each other, anyway?" Zell asked through a mouthful of ham sandwich. Selphie and Irvine just shrugged and shared a look.

"She just couldn't resist my charm any longer," Irvine said with a lazy grin. Selphie giggled.

Squall rolled his eyes, and he grabbed a bottle of soda, not feeling very hungry, although he was in a considerably better mood than he had been since he first learned that he had what had inevitably killed Ellone.

'…_I suggest you go around, enjoy life for a little bit. You know, before…'_

'…_There's no cure for it. I'm sorry. Ellone died in a month.'_

'_Mommy? When's Sis coming home with us?'_

"Squall? Why aren't you eating?"

The brunette shook away the last spiderweb traces of the memories with a slight frown.

"I'm not hungry," he replied. Zell paused in between bites. "But you didn't eat any breakfast!" He exclaimed.

"Not everyone can eat as much as you, Zell," Selphie retorted, still a bit strung up over his comment on her and Irvine being 'lovebirds.' "Although, he does have a point. You should at least eat one sandwich."

Squall stared at her pleading green eyes, and he sighed as he reached for a sandwich. "Alright," he said gruffly, reluctantly unwrapping the article of food, painfully aware that everyone was watching him as he took a bite.

_The hell?_ His mind raged. _What the fuck is their problem with me and eating!_ He looked up at each of them, a fire burning in his eyes. They avoided his glanced hurriedly, not wanting to be caught staring.

Squall sighed. The sun was feeling a bit too bright for him. He took a long swig from his bottle of Dr. Pepper and stood up. Everyone stopped their idle shatter to glance inquisitively at him.

"I'm gonna go unpack my stuff," he said lamely, gesturing vaguely behind him with his thumb. He took a few steps backwards. "Yeah… So I'll catch up with you-"

His breath caught in his throat and his eyes widened when he felt his back connect with something solid.

"…Later," he finished weakly, whirling around immediately after a brief, awkward pause. He was met with dancing green eyes and an arrogant grin.

**TBC…**

**AN **– Hmmm… Well, Merry Christmas, all! I wanna thank everyone for the reviews that I got... /hugs/ Review!


	3. Mood Rings

**Road to Eternity**

**Chapter 3: Mood Rings**

_He's so pretty but he but doesn't always act that way  
His moods out swinging on the swing set almost every day  
He said to me that he's so happy it's depressing  
And all I said was "someone get that guy a mood ring"_

Mood Rings, Relient K (I changed the lyrics a little…)

"Seifer?" He asked, confusion dancing in his wide, stormy grey eyes. The blonde's smile just grew.

"Well, well," he drawled. "Unpack, huh? I got the vague impression you already did that this morning."

Squall shot him a withering glare, daring him to continue. "No," he seethed, "I'm actually not done. So if you'll excuse me-"

He tried to walk past Seifer, but the green eyed teen blocked his way.

Zell stood up. "Hey!" he called, eyes alight with a frown. "Hey, man, what're you trying to pull?"

Squall gave Zell a look that clearly said drop it. Apparently, though, Zell didn't get the memo.

Seifer smirked and looked Zell over from head to toe. He bore a striking resemblance to a chicken, with his tall, spiky hair and short frame.

"What're you gonna do about it… Chicken-wuss?" He asked, lazily pulling his lips back just enough to look like he was baring his fangs.

Zell bristled. "Hey!" He shouted. People glanced over at them, seeming interested in the potential fight.

Quitis interrupted before they could even start. "Hey! Stop it!" She turned to Seifer. "Who're you?" She demanded.

"Seifer Almasy, the one and only," he replied, placing both hands behind his neck in a relaxed and casual manner that still radiated calm and coolness and control.

Zell scowled. "You're Squall's roommate," he said. Seifer rolled his eyes.

"Genius, Einstein," he muttered. "Next time you have such a brilliant revelation to share with us all, warn me before I get a heart attack at the sheer intellect of it."

The statement was dripping with sarcasm.

Squall scowled. "The hell are you doing here, Seifer?" He bit out, eyes narrowing.

Seifer gave him a lopsided half-grin. "Last time I checked, the rest of the student body had the same right as you did to come eat out in the courtyard, but of course, that may have changed since I last checked…"

"…Whatever," Squall rolled his eyes in disgust and tried pushing past Seifer, only to get stopped by one broad shoulder.

"Hold it, Princess," Seifer drawled, eyes cocky. "You don't have your key for our room, if I remember correctly, since I currently have… _two_."

He reached into the pocket of his grey trench coat and pulled out two room keys, swinging and glinting and reflecting the sunlight.

Squall blinked. He had forgotten to take the room key with him when he left? That wasn't like him. He must have been slipping…

He could feel the beginnings of a headache start between his eyes. Subconsciously, he reached up to massage his temple.

"Whatever." He reached to grab one of the keys, but Seifer moved his hand out of the way.

"Nuh-uh," Seifer grinned at him. "I got the vague impression earlier that you were pissed at something. Wanna tell me what?"

Quitis stood up. "Seifer," she intoned lowly, "Drop it. We're in no mood to deal with you again this year… and we won't be doing the same thing again. Twice."

Seifer's face darkened, and his smirk gave way to a snarl, if only for the briefest second. Squall froze, eyes wide.

But then the look passed, and Seifer shrugged. "Chill," he said, motioning with his hand. "No need to get your panties all in a bunch."

Quitis narrowed her eyes, but sat back down, satisfied.

Squall bit his lip and grabbed a key from Seifer's hand.

"Your welcome, Squall," Seifer commented darkly. Squall grunted.

Frowning, he turned to look back at the brunette making his way across the grass.

"He's like that," Selphie commented. "But I've only known him for a day… Maybe he just needs to get to know us."

Seifer plopped down on the place where Squall had once occupied, self-inserting his opinion into the conversation.

"Yeah, but he's got serious anger issues. Geez, I swear, he's going to kill me in my sleep one day, I just know it!"

Quitis looked sternly at the golden-haired boy.

"Seifer, if you push him too hard, we'll have to-"

Seifer rolled his eyes. "I won't, I won't," he sighed, pulling a mock pout. "Gosh, mother."

The strawberry blonde girl wrinkled her nose in a very un-Quitis-like manner.

"I'm serious, Seifer. If you do push him into something that-"

Seifer stood up. "I'm not going to!" He bit out, eyes glaring. "I have more self-control than that! It was just- Just something else last year."

There was silence, before Zell shifted. "I don't even want to know what you guys are talking about," he commented, taking a large bite of his sandwich.

"That's OK, Chicken-wuss," Seifer drawled, grinning. "Your brain might explode if we tried to explain."

Zell choked, and Selphie jumped up, worried. Slapping his back extra hard, she turned and pouted at Seifer.

"Go away, you're going to kill Zelly!" She whined.

Seifer raised an eyebrow. "Zelly? Is that his name? Oh, cool then, Zelly. I have better things to do that watch you hack on air. Your germs might be contagious."

Seifer spun around and headed off, stomach growling.

Maybe I'll go talk to Princess, he pondered the thought, before grinning internally. Oh, what fun.

He made his way towards their room, sliding his key in softly and turning. The door swung open and he stepped inside, a bit disquieted by the silence.

"Hey, you back yet, Princess?"

There was no answer. Seifer stepped further in, feeling like he was in a spy movie, and soon he was going to find Squall's mangled body on his bed, eyes gorged out-

"The fuck do you want?"

Oh, well, never mind, Maybe Seifer would be the one gorging the brunette's pretty blue-grey eyes out…

"Hello to you too," Seifer muttered, giving him a lazy grin.

"Dumbass," Squall turned away and went back into the bathroom. Seifer followed him.

"Whatcha doing in there? Putting on lip gloss?" Seifer mimicked the motion, pursing his lips in the mirror and sliding an imaginary tube of lip color over his mouth.

"You're fogging up the mirror with your dog breath," Squall muttered, pushing Seifer away from the mirror where he was setting up his toothbrush and other toiletries.

"…" There was silence from the blonde, and Squall wondered if he had left. That was why when Seifer suddenly spoke, about two inches away form his ear, Squall jumped a little.

"Why don't you have to shave?"

Seifer asked quietly, putting a hand softly on Squall's chin, thumb ghosting over the porcelain skin.

Squall inhaled quickly, turning his face away so that Seifer's hand fell away. "The hell?"

Seifer just grinned; Squall could see the blonde's face in the mirror. "You don't have a razor," he explained. "What, guess you really are a girl. Do you have tits?"

Squall's face turned red at that, and pivoted around and shoved Seifer away from him.

"What the _fuck_?" He raged. "You're a metal case, dumbfuck! The hell would I be a girl?"

Seifer grinned. "Oh, so the Ice Princess finally cracks," he intoned in an announcer's voice. "Let's see if Seifer can expose his secret identity as a girl to the rest of the academy?"

Squall seethed. "Whatever," he muttered lowly. "I'm wasting brain cells on trying to mentally teleport you to Spain."

"Oh!" Seifer put a hand to his mouth. "That cut deeply! Ladies and gentlemen, She has just learned the term 'Sarcasm'!"

The brunette gritted his teeth. The blonde was bad for him. Pretty soon, all his hair would fall out from the stress and turn grey.

"Whatever."

Wearily, he turned and brushed past the blonde, who was still holding an imaginary microphone in his hand, crooning some Frank Sinatra song, which Seifer claimed was a 'classic'.

Easing himself onto his bed, he closed his eyes and tried to block out the singing. If he had to be honest, Seifer wasn't _that_ bad at singing. Just…

"Would you shut up?" Squall ground out. "Please?"

"Oh, the magic word!" Seifer grinned. "Now, how can I refuse Her Majesty's wishes?"

Squall sighed, eyebrows furrowing over gunmetal grey eyes. It was going to be a long day.

**TBC…**

**AN – Short, I know. But I'll update again if you want more. Sorry for the delay this time. **


	4. Work

**Road to Eternity**

**Chapter 4: Work**

_If you only once would let me  
Only just one time  
Then be happy with the consequence  
With whatever's gonna happen tonight  
Don't think we're not serious  
When's it ever not  
The love we make is give and it's take  
I'm game to play along_

Work, Jimmy Eat World

_: Can't say I was never wrong, but some blame rests on you. Work and play, they're never okay, to mix the way we do :_

"Squall? Oh, Squall! Hey, Squall, Squall! Guess what I just remembered, Squall…"

"**Stop saying my name**."

"Huhh? Oh, sorry. Well, **_anyway_**…"

The girl tugged on her bright yellow sundress, which sent Squall shivering just looking at it in the cold, cold air outside.

December was just **not** the month to be wearing short, sleeveless dresses… **without** a jacket.

"…at your schedule? … …Come on, you had to have looked at it! _Everyone_ has already. I was hoping they'd put first and second levels together this year for classes so that you and Zell could be with the rest of us, but they only did that for some of the classes, mostly the extra ones…"

Squall tried tuning her out, his thoughts wandering to his schedule. In fact, he hadn't looked at it yet, and it was festering in its envelope along with the disregarded welcoming letter and rules and policies sheet somewhere in his bag.

"Hel-lo? Squall?"

Selphie waved a hand in front of his face.

"Wha…?"

"You totally spaced out. And, you skipped dinner last night too! Grrr, me and Irvy and Quisty were gonna kidnap you and Zell to the movies, but then BOTH of you didn't show up!"

Squall frowned, turning to her.

"Wait… Zell wasn't at dinner?" Selphie shook her head.

"Then… where **else** could he be?" This puzzled the brunette to some extent.

Selphie shrugged again.

"…"

Squall decided not to worry about it too much; after all, no guy could possibly get in trouble the second day of boarding school… right?

_Whatever,_ he thought, _I just need to concentrate on tomorrow, then. _

Yes. Tomorrow, when classes started and everything was officially set in motion for Squall's private hell to begin. Being locked in this… Prep school was just not his ideal way of spending the last-oh-month-of-so of his life.

Also, he had officially given up on reading Catcher in the Rye, and was setting his sights on other reading material, which was where he was headed to look for now…

Sadly, his map of the school grounds was still in the very same envelope as his schedule and welcoming letter and rules and policies paper, so he got lost and ended up wandering for the better part of an hour before he bumped into Selphie.

So now, she was leading the way to the library, which was sadly on the other side of the campus. The cold and bitter air bit at his face, and he again glanced at Selphie in her dress.

"Aren't you cold?" He asked. The brunette girl blinked, eyes wide from the surprise of his unexpected question.

"Huh? Oh. Oh, no. I never really get cold unless it's snowing. Although," here she paused to glance up at the sky, "it does look like it could snow, doesn't it? Hehe. That would really suck, huh?"

Squall followed her gaze up towards the grey-blue, overcast sky, squinting as a breeze whipped his hair around.

"Come on, hurry, or else we'll never get to the library!" Selphie called, tugging on his arm. His gaze lingered on the clouds for a second longer before he allowed the girl to pull him away.

_: All the best DJs are saving, their slowest song for last. When the dance is through, it's me and you; Come on would it really be so bad:_

Squall leaned back, eyes skimming the rows and rows of books. The smell of the library filled his nose; a mixture of plastic, leather, and coffee. The soft hum of voices and whispers blended with the sound of scratching pens and flipping pages, and the blend soothed his grated nerves.

"Hey! Hey! Stooop!"

Squall looked up, eyes wide. The voice seemed to be right next to his ear.

"Shhh! Shut up, you retard!"

Squall narrowed his eyes and glanced to his right, then to his left. He saw two figures wrestling over a magazine, engaged in a furious battle of whispers.

Other students were also searching for the source of the disturbance, but upon seeing it, they just rolled their eyes and returned to their previous activities like it was a normal occurrence.

Squall guessed that it was.

Still, he didn't expect there'd be so many people in the library, which was only open to students and staff, when the school hadn't officially opened. That was tomorrow.

Suddenly, the magazine flew out of both pairs of hands, and tow pairs of panicked eyes followed the flight of the periodical through the air.

Squall turned and managed to catch it with as much smoothness he had. Glancing down at it, he immediately blushed and averted his eyes from the offending picture.

"Oh! Hey, man, thanks for catching that."

Squall looked up at one of the boys that had been looking at the pornographic magazine jumped up and waved at him.

"You know, don't want the wrong people to be seeing this," he winked, before walking over the Squall and reaching for the magazine.

The stoic teen held it far in front (and away) of him towards the other boy; touching the least possible about of glossy paper as if it were contaminated.

The boy grabbed it, and glanced over it to make sure that nothing had been ripped or torn.

"Oh thank God!" He exclaimed, grinning and kissing the magazine with an expression of pure delight on his face.

The other boy stood up and backhanded the boy molesting the magazine, glaring.

"Retard! You shouldn't be looking at this stuff…"

Squall raised an eyebrow.

The boy turned to him. "Yeah, I don't like that stuff. However, this dumbass," he poked the other hard in the side, "insists on reading them, even though they're banned here."

"Who're you?" The first boy asked, grinning at Squall.

"…Squall."

The boy shrugged, still grinning. "Weird name, but whatever. I'm Mark. That's Erik over there." Mark leaned in closer, lowering his voice to a loud whisper. "He doesn't appreciate the finer points in life."

Erik scoffed, brushing some light blonde hair out of his eyes. "Yeah. Like you do; jerking off to a porno magazine."

Mark's stuck out his tongue. "Oh, definitely."

Erik frowned, a hand going unconsciously to rub the bridge of his nose.

Squall had to sympathize; he was already getting very annoyed with the black-haired boy.

"Well, we gotta get going… You know, things to do, places to see…" Mark waved a hand vaguely, face set in an ever-present idiotic grin.

"And again, thanks for catching that magazine. Wouldn't want the wrong people seeing it."

Squall shrugged; translation: no problem.

The brunette turned back to the shelves, resuming his search for a good book to read.

The two other boys disappeared around the corner, both whispering.

Just as he was fingering one that had, in his opinion, an interesting cover, a figure catapulted out from overhead, falling down onto the ground next to Squall.

"Squaaaalll! I've missed you!"

The brunette choked, trying to pry the strong appendage from his throat.

"…Selphie…?"

"Hmmm?" The girl asked.

"…I can't… breathe…"

"Oh!"

The pressure was gone, and Squall sank down to his knees, thankfully gasping in air.

Selphie kneeled down next to Squall.

"Oh, I'm sorry… Are you alright? I'm really really sorry… I just missed you, is all."

Squall glared up at her. "…What?" He gritted out. "You just saw me… ten minutes ago."

Selphie pouted. "Okay, fine. But a lot of stuff can happen in ten minutes. You could die. You could be kidnapped. You could have a life-changing experience."

"I kinda did," Squall muttered, thinking back to the magazine. He wasn't ever going to see the world the same way now ever again.

Selphie didn't hear him, or, at least, didn't acknowledge his comment. "Anyway, I just got a call from Zell."

Squall stood. "Is he okay?" he asked, worry for the hyperactive, spiky-haired blonde, first person that had tried to be his friend here, showing through even though he tried to hide it.

"Yeah, he said he was just walking around outside the gates, and he got lost."

Squall rolled his eyes. "Great," he muttered under his breath, but Selphie caught it.

"Anyway, did you get anything you wanted?" Selphie asked. Squall turned to the book in his hands.

"Uhm, yeah," he said. "Let's go."

"…Do you have your card?"

"…"

Squall blinked blankly. "…No… I'm a new student. The question is… where's _your_ card?"

Selphie scratched her head. "Well… I've never actually been to the library before, so I've never registered one," she admitted truthfully.

"…"

"Hey! Sorry, just because I don't read much doesn't mean that-"

But Squall was already walking towards the desk.

"Hey! Squaaall!"

"Name?"

"Leonhart, Squall."

"You're not listening to me, are you? Squall! Squ-all? Ugh." She stomped her foot, glaring.

"Selphie. Calm down. People are staring."

The girl hmphed and crossed her arms.

The brunette took his new card and his book away from the counter. "Come on. Let's get back before lunch."

The girl in yellow blinked. "Okay, fine," she agreed grumpily.

The tow made their way out of the study building and into the crisp, clean air.

"Ah," Selphie breathed in deep.

"Don't you just love winter air?"

Squall blinked before turning to stare up at the sky.

"…Yeah." He said softly, a small smile.

"Don't you sometimes just wanna sit and stare up at the sky forever and ever? Cause it seems so endless…"

Squall squinted as a harsh wind started to blow, moving the grey, overcast clouds swiftly across the sky.

"…We should go back."

He turned to Selphie, was standing still, eyes still trained on the clouds.

"Don't you ever wanna fly?"

_: The things we think might be the same, but I won't fight for more. It's just not me to wear it on my sleeve, count on that for sure :  
_

"SEIFER."

The blonde blinked, turning around.

His face broke into a grin. "Fuijin! Hey, you're back!"

The girl narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the blonde.

"HAPPY?"

Seifer frowned, confused. "…Me…?" He asked.

The girl didn't reply. Instead, she spun around, walking away from Seifer.

"RAGE."

"Wait-What? You're mad at me? Already? Why?"

"RAIJIN."

With that single word, the girl stalked away, leaving Seifer standing in the hallway, blinking.

"Ugh. Figures," he muttered, before swiping his card in. After Princess had stalked off a while earlier (after chucking a book into the garbage disposal), he had decided to go find something to eat.

Stretching his head into their rooms, Seifer pasted on a grin. "Princess? Squally? You back yet?"

He paused, waiting for an answer (or at least a shoe chucked in his direction). However, when he received neither word nor flying projectile, he frowned.

"Huh." He muttered, switching on the light and flopping down on his bed.

He stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, before he sat up and groaned.

"Ugh… What to do… what to do…" he looked around, before his eyes settled on the black duffel bag lying innocently on the ground next to Squall's bed.

"Hmm… He'll never know…" Seifer grinned to himself. "Oh, this'll be interesting…"

He shot a glance at the door, just in case, and lowered himself to his knees. After one last paranoid glance around the room, he unzipped the bag.

Hmm, nothing particularly interesting. There was the acceptance envelope still unopened lying on the very top. Seifer tucked it aside and delved deeper.

There was an uneaten bag of pretzels, and a bottle of water. Seifer pushed those aside, and saw an MP3 player, earphones all rolled up neatly around the device.

The blonde pulled it out, turning it on and looking through whatever the brunette listened to. Half of the stuff wasn't bad, Seifer thought. No emo… No rap. Pretty good for a potential serial killer.

He tucked the MP3 player back in, and reached around several articles of clothing to the bottom of the bag.

His fingers closed around something round and cylindrical. Frowning, he moved to pull it out.

"What the _fuck_ do you think you're doing?"

**TBC…**

**AN – And that was very, _very_ rushed. Sorry. xD I kinda lost inspiration for this… **

**And this chapter is not proofread… Hell, none of my chapters are proofread. :D haha, oh whatever.**


End file.
